Fall. It's the most beautiful time of year. And over the past few months, Gizmodo photographers have been documenting the yellows, oranges and browns of the season. Here are 100 beautiful entries in this year's Fall Shooting Challenge.
WINNER: Fall's Reach
While I enjoy the results, this shot was born from disappointment. Last year I made the trek to the volcanic Hachimantai plateau in Akita Japan to be greeted with fleeting patches of sunlight and healthy dose of rain; for the rematch this year, it was a massive wind storm and an even heavier dose of the wet stuff. Perhaps, a curse.
With crap conditions my focus goes small, so I slapped the macro lens on and began my hunts. However, during this time, I began to feel a solution to the storm would be to focus on the rich colors of the wet trees and the warm glow behind them.Nikon D800e in AP Mode @320 ISO. Nikkor 105mm (Micro) @f/3.2 1/250. Process was mostly Lightroom with a minor measure of Photoshop using Selective Color Adjustment layer to further enhance the foliage.
- Jason Arney
Old Fence
I shot this on one of my first photog-trips with friends in Collingwood Ontario. When I bent down to tie my shoe I saw the line of the fence and the gorgeous fall colours in the background and got lucky enough to get this great shot!! It was shot with a Nikon D50, using an 18-55mm lens and Auto-ISO on a dark and almost-rainy day.
- Jamie House
The Farm
I was very fortunate to be stateside while the leaves were changing. I traveled all over: Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York. Everywhere was so beautiful, it was hard to choose what to submit. The photo I chose is from Sedalia, Colorado taken at sunrise. I decided to submit this one for several reasons 1) I am rarely up before sunrise unless I am suffering from massive jetlag 2) it was taken on the morning of my sister-in-law's wedding day and 3) beyond just the colors of the leaves, it shows exactly how beautiful and crisp a fall day can be. There is so much fall detail, the pink Rocky Mountains, the orange scrub oaks, the rolling hills of yellowing grasses. My favorite part though how the red leaves match the red barn. Canon 550D 18-55mm kit lens, f/3.5, 1/250 sec, ISO 400
- Jeannie Moulton
MelloYello
This is the courtyard of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. You will find lots of photos of the main castle on the web, but this one is from the interior of the castle looking out. There is a row of small windows in the hallway just before the tour entrance, so I stuck my camera out for a few shots. It was a cool, misty day - still early in the season - and this single tree in the courtyard had just recently turned its leaves yellow. Canon EOS 7D, f/5, 1/20 sec., ISO-250
- Kent Waller
Crayola Box
I was walking the neighborhood and saw these leaves in my neighbors yard. I had not witnessed this many colors in one area and thought to myself this would be a nice shot. I've had some great looking getting good shots with my camera phone. Maybe someday I can afford to get a 'real' camera.This was shot with an iPhone 4S, ISO80, shutter speed 1/120 F-Stop 2.4. I used two apps to tweak the colors Camera+ & snapseed.
- Michael Rennels
Glen Iris
Welcome to the "Grand Canyon of the East", the "Glen Iris" or more commonly known as Letchworth State Park in Upstate New York. This is the view from inspiration point of the Higher Falls and a bird. A Bird!
As for the picture and gear this was taken with a Nikon D5100 and the kit lens. Slight Level and Color Adjustments in PS as I more reacted to the scene (with a Bird!) than planned for.
- Harvey Taylor
Idyllic
My in-laws live in a condo atop a mountain in Vinings, Georgia, which has incredible views of the nearby woods and, on the horizon, downtown Atlanta and Buckhead (to the right and left, respectively). I was there recently and saw a beautiful sunrise casting its rays over the colorful trees below, and grabbed a 3-shot bracketed exposure, merged into HDR via Photomatix. (I accidentally was on P, which bracketed both the aperture and exposure times; I should have locked the aperture at f/8-9, but the results still came out well.) Nikon D7000, Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX, 16mm, ISO 200, [f/13 @ 1/640 | f/9 @ 1/320 | f/6.3 @ 1/160].
- Shahak Nagiel
Fisheye Fall
This picture was taken during a walk in a nearby park at lunchtime. The foliage was vibrant all around me, and a thought occurred to me: If I lie down on a nearby bench, and point the camera straight up, I could capture a 360 degree view with my fisheye lens. I took the shot, not thinking too much of it. When I saw the image later on, I was pleasantly surprised how nice it came out. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 15mm Fisheye, ISO: 200, F4.5, 1/2000
-Tim Babasade
A Tree's Shadow
I was walking around the St. Louis Arch grounds and snapped this picture. The lighting was just perfect and really showcased the yellow/red leaves on the trees. I loved the contrast against the green grass. I was using my Canon 7D (15-85mm wide angle lens), f/22, 1/40s, ISO 400, 31mm. I edited the photo in Lightroom to bring out the shadows.
- Rachael Pawlak
Oberg Mountain
When the details for this challenge came out, I knew I was in the perfect place to participate. I immediately booked a campsite for the beautiful "North Shore" region of Minnesota. The weather turned out to be perfect that weekend and the leaves were as colorful as I have ever seen them. During our first hike on Oberg Mountain, I took this shot by hand from one of the many overlooks on the trail. Taken with a Nikon D3100, 18-55mm kit lens, circular polarizer, ISO 400 | 22mm | f7.1 | 1/200 sec.
- Tim Dunklee
Tracks
It was a nice fall day a couple weeks ago and I just grabbed my camera and went out to see what pictures I could get and stumbled upon this location.I used my Canon 7D with an 8mm Fisheye.
- Tim Nummy
The Singleton
The cooler weather has started to arrive to the DC area and with that the leaves will shortly start changing color, the jackets will come out and we will be taking beautiful photos with shades of red, yellows and oranges in them. I'm reminded of a quote Albert Camus once said "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. I shot this with my Canon T3i using a macro lens. 1/640, F-2.8, ISO 100
- Tracy Miller
View From the Road
I took this photo of the northern part of Lake Shore Drive, Chicago in between storms. They had been passing through all day and I happened to look out the window as another storm was approaching. I love the fact that even in a city as big as Chicago, the vibrance of Fall can still be seen. Photo was taken with my iPhone 4s and then I used iPhoto to fiddle with the contrast.
- Aadil Ahmed
Leaves Like Bokeh
The photo is taken in Chicago near the Garfield Conservatory on a beautiful summery autumn weekend afternoon. Canon 30D with a Nikkor Series E or S50 f1.4 lens mounted (EXIF: ISO 100, f4, 1/400th).
- Vivec Jena
Maine Morning
An early misty morning in Maine. Following an old rock wall led me to this tree, standing alone, brilliantly, in among the tall and somber pines. Nikon D5100 with Sigma 10-20mm, F/10, 1/6 sec, ISO 500.
- Brenda Mugleston
A lot of us didn't get much of a fall this year, be it from draught or storms and other end of the world occurrences. Still, you managed to turn in some pretty incredible shots. The full galleries are below, but for those of you looking for wallpapers, check flickr for the supersized images.